Eye of the Beholder
by PolarPanther
Summary: Orphaned after the death of her father, 13 year old Lucy ignored the adventurous thrum of magic in her veins and devoted herself to managing the Heartfilia Konzern for the rest of her life. She had accepted that as her future. But then she met the Fairy Tail mages.
1. Electric Current

A maroon train emblazoned with the gold FioRail logo sped out of the station in a rush of steam. When it was completely out of sight, Lucy finally relaxed the stiff and proper posture that she had held since they had entered Luin earlier that morning. "Did that just happen?" She asked in wonder. "Did I really just close a deal with FioRails' notoriously picky owner?"

"Was there any doubt that you would close the deal, Lady Heartfilia?" the young man beside her pulled out a silver pocket watch from his peacock blue coat with a bright smile. "You prepared for every possible argument he could use to disagree."

"You can call me Lucy. We're not working right now, Jeremy," Lucy said, tugging off the cream pillbox hat that didn't shade her eyes from the bright noon sunshine. Sunshine that made the painful glare from her white blouse almost blinding. "And of course, I'm surprised."

"You're always surprised when you're successful, Lady Lucy," Jeremy said with a teasing tone as he took the hat and offered her a pair of sunglasses from his satchel.

Smoothing her hair, Lucy huffed at the formal title but said, "Mr. Belvine hasn't accepted a business deal from anyone in over a decade. You were so worried about how our meeting would go that you were researching right up until today's meeting."

"I'm your assistant." Jeremy said, as they walked out of Luin's large train station that acted as one of the town's borders and entered the town's bustling streets where people's chatter surrounded them. "It's my job to ensure your success."

Lucy stopped at a small fountain for an instant to check her hair in the crystal clear water. "Jeremy, I couldn't have impressed that old man so much if you hadn't given me all that extra information." She turned to him. "Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me for doing my job." Jeremy looked up from his pocket watch with amusement. "And I don't think that Mr. Belvine will appreciate being called an old man, Lady Lucy."

"He has great grandchildren," Lucy shook her head at her assistant's subject change. "I still can't believe we've become actual business partners with FioRail. Maybe this will silence those meddling old men on the Heartfilia Konzern's board."

"We can only hope," Jeremy said and frowned at his notebook. "I thought that the meeting would take longer so I scheduled the carriage to collect some files from neighbouring Porthel. We'll have to wait at least an hour before we can leave Luin and return to the estate, Lady Lucy."

"An hour?" Lucy blinked and then grinned with delight. "That gives me a chance to roam around."

Jeremy stared at her with surprise. "You want to _roam around_ Luin?"

"Of course, I hear Luin has some wonderful imports because it's the base of FioRails. I'm sure a little roaming around will give me some ideas for new profitable projects."

Jeremy's tentative smile twitched and flattened into a dissatisfied frown. "Maybe you should take the afternoon off from work and... act your age, Lady Lucy."

Lucy shook her head. "If I'm going to spend time away from the office then I need to make it worthwhile. I can't waste my time when the company is still rebuilding. Even though I've repaid all the debts that Father incurred, I..."

The ground shook with a rumble.

Distant thunder rattled in the distance as everyone on the streets picked themselves off the ground.

Lucy kept a hold of Jeremy's hands as she stood and dusted her ruffled black skirt. "Was that an earthquake?"

Jeremy's grey eyes narrowed behind his glasses as he looked around with ill concealed worry. "I don't think so." He swallowed audibly when something captured his attention. "Most definitely not an earthquake," he said with a rush of panic.

Lucy followed his gaze.

Golden sand rushed in from beyond the train station, covering it from sight as it flowed down into the streets.

Even as it flowed forward, the sand bubbled up to form towering humanoid figures at various spots.

Humanoid figures that moved, attacked and enveloped people and buildings whole.

It took a moment for the dazed Luin residents to react with screams of terror. "Monster."

"You need to get to safety," Jeremy tugged Lucy's arm, pulling her away from the panicked running crowds.

But the hard ground beneath their feet shifted into soft sand. Sand that turned into even more monstrous creatures in front of them.

Jeremy pushed Lucy out of the way just as a pillar of sand rose up where Lucy had been standing.

Lucy's eyes widened in horror as the sand enveloped her assistant. "Jeremy!" She ducked away from a wave of sand that came at her from the side and ran.

Through her panicked thoughts, a flash of memory from earlier pushed Lucy to go against the crowds towards the train station.

She ducked past the towering monsters and ran as fast as she could on the soft sand with a desperate purpose.

When she caught sight of the fountain that she had stopped at earlier, Lucy despaired.

The fountain's water was brown with sand.

With her legs already burning from running on the sand, Lucy kept going and hoped that there was more water than sand in the fountain as she dug into her vest pocket for the keys chained inside.

Static trickled through her fingers and the faint crush of waves filled her mind when she brushed against one specific key.

Certain that it was the key that she needed, Lucy yanked the key out as her boots slipped on the still slithering sand underfoot.

Sand scrapped against her cheek, the only warning Lucy had to duck down and away from the attack coming in from behind her.

Fear propelled her forward faster and as soon as she reached the fountain, Lucy plunged her key into the sand filled water, drenching her long white sleeve till her elbow. "I am the one who connects the Celestial World. Spirit answer my call. Open, Gate of the Water Bearer, Aquarius."

The water glowed with Lucy's magic and freed from the sand, rose into a pillar that morphed into a faint crystalline gateway.

A gateway that opened with a chime and allowed a stern faced mermaid to swim through.

"Why are you summoning me so early today? You said you had a business meeting to..." the summoned mermaid paused and slapped a sand creature away from Lucy with her tail.

"Sorry for calling you out here like this, Aquarius," Lucy said with relief. "But I didn't know what else to do. I had to keep my whip in the carriage because of the meeting and..."

Aquarius interrupted her by pressing cool fingertips to Lucy's cheek. When she pulled back, her pale fingers were covered in red.

Lucy pressed her damp white sleeve against her cheek and winced at the stinging burn of an open wound. "Can you do something about the sand?"

Aquarius slapped her tail against the fountain water. A swirl of water circled around Lucy and expanded, creating a barrier that glowed with the same power that filled Aquarius' blue eyes. "Sand magic of this level is no trouble for me. A beach means nothing to the ocean."

Lucy grinned with delight. "You sound so cool, Aquarius. And kind of scary too. I'll keep your gate open so you don't have to worry about that."

Aquarius smirked as she raised her golden urn high above her head. "Good, because I am going to destroy these small fry in one fell swoop."

As Aquarius pulled her magic from keeping the now invisible gate open, Lucy pushed more of her own magic into keeping the gate open by herself.

A spinning vortex of water gushed out of the glowing urn and slammed against the sand, creatures and all. They crumbled and got swept away in the wave of water, leaving behind a host of freed but unconscious people.

Lucy relaxed as she caught sight of Jeremy's vibrant blue coat in the distance amongst the newly freed people. "You did it Aquarius. You defeated all these monsters in one move."

Aquarius' face twisted into a stern frown. "Not yet. The mage behind that sand is still active. As long as the mage remains then these annoying sand creatures will come back." She paused as she glanced at Lucy. "Why are you smiling?"

"You're so different from when I summon you to chat over lunch. Battle really suits you." When her spirit sputtered, Lucy said, "So we just have to go and defeat the mage?"

Aquarius turned serious and straightened. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" Lucy said. "You can K.O the mage in one shot just like these sand creatures."

"Lucy, I'm sure your magic has already drained a lot. I shouldn't stay here too long like this."

Lucy huffed. "I've kept your gate open for over an hour when we usually talk."

"Summoning me in combat is different from keeping me summoned to chat. We usually share the magic required to keep the gateway open during those times. You use more magic to keep me here on Earthland when I'm using all my magic in battle. You know that." Her spirit looked at her as the water barrier around Lucy churned. "So, move your magic and I'll keep the gate open with you till you get to safety."

"No, I can... I'll do it," Lucy said. "I'll keep your gate open for however long it takes you to K.O this stupid mage. You just concentrate on fighting."

"We don't even know where this mage is," Aquarius said, looming over Lucy with disapproval.

A flurry of thunderous sounds broke their staring competition.

Well beyond the wet train station, a flurry of golden lightning lit up the sky. "That doesn't looks like normal lightning. And for so much of it to in one location," Lucy said, "must mean magic. Which means mages."

Aquarius looked out into the distance for a long moment before she sighed. "Fine. But promise me that you will close the gate and go to safety if you run out of magic before we deal with the mage."

Lucy nodded. A nod was not as binding as a spoken promise that Lucy had no intention of keeping. She jogged forward over soggy sand, the water barrier around her shrinking but not disappearing.

Every bedraggled person they passed, paused whatever they were doing to gape at Aquarius.

Speeding through the air above Lucy as though she was swimming, Aquarius radiated regal intimidation. The scales of her tail gleamed like jewels in the sun and her blue hair mimicked the water that followed after her.

Aquarius looked ready to hurt someone.

And Lucy couldn't help feeling a tinge of pride as she walked towards the sporadic thunderous sounds. She was the one keeping Aquarius summoned to K.O the mage who had been stupid enough to attack Luin.

"Your water reached pretty far," Lucy said as she trudged through soggy sand even though they were well away from Luin and into what had previously been marshland around the town.

"I ordered the water to deal with any sand creatures. I must have used too much magic if it continued on outside of my line of sight," Aquarius said, her voice sounding almost sheepish even as she stared ahead.

Lucy's mind boggled at the words. Aquarius had ordered the water with magic and the water had obeyed _too enthusiastically._

"Looks like I spoke too soon," Aquarius said with a growl as they came upon a horde of moving sand monsters that blocked the way forward. "Keep going. There are mages up ahead."

A little intimidated but more intrigued by Aquarius' words, Lucy took a deep breath and ran straight at the throng of monsters.

The water barrier around her glowed and prevented anything from reaching her, even Aquarius' newest attack.

A roaring vortex of water rose up around the glowing barrier and expanded to decimate the sand monsters.

"The mages are worn out," Aquarius said, breaking Lucy out of her awed trance. With a clinical tone, she added, "They must be magically exhausted."

Without the towering monsters blocking the way, the mages in the distance were easy to see.

Three mages stood back to back in a circular formation and fought with a mix of magic that Lucy had never seen before. A green-haired mage facing Lucy, slashed at the monsters with a sword that trailed something purple and froze the monsters until a dress clad woman kicked them apart with a glittering impact. The only thing visible of the third mage behind them was a metal helmet of some sort.

Even as she moved forward, Lucy said, "They're not our enemy. And they've been fighting for a long time."

Aquarius hummed in agreement.

A golden lightning flash and another bang of thunder spurred the trio of mages to fight even harder with desperation in their tense postures.

"Can you get rid of the sand creatures without touching them?"

Aquarius scoffed and raised her free hand at the mages. "Who do you think you're talking to?"

A thin ring of water encircled the trio and expanded.

They reared back in surprise.

Aquarius straightened in the air and raised her golden urn.

The green-haired mage caught sight of her. His sword raced through the air and glowed purple just before a torrent of water rushed out from the urn and swept away the crumbling sand creatures.

Even though her body burned with exhaustion, Lucy moved forward as the water sank down into the ground. She panted slightly as she stopped in front of the defensive trio. "Are you all right?"

"You helped us," the green haired mage said, lowering his sword with a faint tremble. "Which guild are you two from? Wait, no, it doesn't matter. Please remove this water... barrier so that we can reach Laxus."

The tallest person of the trio, another male with the metal visor covering his eyes prodded the water while the lone female of the trio – a pale bespectacled brunette clutched at her right arm, the entire length of which was scraped raw and bloody.

Aquarius shot them an imperious look and dissipated the water barrier around them without a word.

The brunette fell forward, but before she could reach the ground, the helmeted male grabbed her. "Ever."

"I'm fine," the brunette gasped out, her face paling even more as she struggled to stand. "We need to get to Laxus."

"You're not going anywhere," the green haired male said, shrugging off his knee length maroon coat and draping it over her.

"Freed!" the woman yelled in outrage.

"Going any further would just get you even more injured," Freed said, his voice going soft but determined as he arranged the dusty coat away from her injured arm. "I have the most magic out of all of us, so I'll go help Laxus. You two stay here and gather your strength. Be our backup."

"Our?" the helmeted man said with a pointed deliberateness.

Freed stood and turned to Lucy. "Thank you both for your help. We will handle things from here."

The sane thing to do was nod, return an unimpressed Aquarius to the celestial realm and let the mages handle things. Especially since Lucy could feel the dangerous dip of her magic levels. "Aquarius is going to defeat the sand mage," Lucy said.

"What? Lucy!" Aquarius said, drowning out whatever Freed was going to say. "You shouldn't push yourself. Not when..."

"I'm fine," Lucy reassured her spirit, who was in much better condition than the mages. "I can keep you here till the sand wielding mage is dealt with."

"You heard him. You don't have to help them," Aquarius said.

"But I will. It's fine," Lucy said, even though her limbs felt heavy. "I came here to deal with the mage for ruining my schedule and eating up my free time with this sand attack... fiasco."

Aquarius gave her the usual ' _I don't believe anything spewing from your mouth_ ' look. A look that Lucy had become intimately acquainted with over the past year ever since she had found the gold key and summoned the spirit.

Lucy didn't falter and stared right back at her spirit.

Aquarius sighed, and her tail slumped with resignation at Lucy's decision.

"Let's go," Lucy said, with more bravado than she felt as she walked towards the much more sporadic flashes of lightning. _Before I'm drained of magic_ , she mentally admitted. She brushed past the trio, courageous due to Aquarius' presence above her. With Aquarius' unfazed visage and the still glowing water barrier around her, Lucy couldn't help but feel brave.

Lucy blinked rapidly as she got closer to the occasional flash of lightning and accompanying thunder. But it was the angry curses along with the glittering pieces of glass cracking under her boots that really signalled she was going in the right direction. "This is so strange. I know that this was all marshland just this morning."

"It's unnatural," Aquarius said, a small portion of her water already churning towards the newest batch of sand monsters. "For a _human_ to make and control this much sand in this terrain."

From a little behind them, Freed said, "That's because the man has stolen some experimental lacrima. He's a researcher gone rouge."

"Lacrima?" Lucy repeated the unfamiliar word, as the path in front of them cleared.

Ahead of them, surrounded by a much larger horde of sand monsters, a blond man cursed as he smashed a sand monster only to have three others take it's place.

"A crystalline substance that's usually made into an orb. It can be powered up with any kind of magic," Freed explained after a moment of silence. "The never ending supply sand has prevented us from dealing with the mage directly."

"So if you get the lacrima then he'll be easy to defeat?" Lucy asked as a bright flash of lightning struck a group of sand monsters.

Freed said, "That's the idea. Except the sand is defending him too well and no matter how much you get rid of there's more to take it's place."

Lucy nodded. "If Aquarius gets rid of all the sand..."

"Then we can finally reach him," Freed said. "Without the sand there to block us, he'll be open to attack." He glanced at Aquarius cautiously. "But using such a large scale water attack would be dangerous when Laxus uses lightning."

Lucy frowned at his worry, "Aquarius can deal with anything."

Already raising her urn, Aquarius' eyes burned blue with power. Instead of the usual torrent of water, a thick but agile stream of water snaked out and around the battlefield, dodging the lightning that flashed around and striking down the sand creatures.

Thrilled at her spirit's display, Lucy gaped, "You're really cool, Aquarius."

Aquarius smirked even as she directed the stream of water around the area to get rid of all the sand monsters.

Lucy stared at her spirit, acutely aware that she had never seen Aquarius in a real battle before. And at that moment, even though her magic levels were low, all Lucy wanted was to keep Aquarius summoned for much longer. To see more of _this_ Aquarius.

With all the sand being rendered unmovable due to the water weighing it down or being turned to unusable glass, the mage behind all the sand finally became visible.

Covered in a thick veil of magic that lingered around him like a halo, the mage showed no visible expression at being confronted.

He didn't even say a word as he stared ahead.

Lucy shuddered and took an involuntary step back, unnerved by the mage.

Aquarius' tail at her back stopped Lucy before she could take another step.

With her golden urn back in the crook of her arm, Aquarius raised her free arm with a stern expression. The stream of water changed directions, coiled around the magic shrouded mage and turned into a pillar of water that reached the sky.

A blinding strike of lightning struck the pillar.

The water pillar lit up with a blinding sizzle, obscuring the trapped mage from view.

"It's been a very long time since I used an attack alongside a lightning user," Aquarius said with a tilt of her head, her voice almost wistful before she turned to Lucy. "I better go back. You can't keep me here any longer than this."

Lucy opened her mouth to protest.

Aquarius pinched Lucy's uninjured cheek and glared. "Do you think magical exhaustion is a joke?"

Lucy shook her head frantically and materialized the crystalline gate that she had been keeping open.

Satisfied, Aquarius let go of her cheek hand and curled her gleaming blue tail around Lucy in her customary farewell before she went through the gate.

The instant the gate closed and disappeared, the drain on Lucy's magic stopped and the water barrier around Lucy dissipated without Aquarius there to command it.

Even the towering water pillar gushed down letting it's prisoner fall to the ground in a twitching heap.

"Who are you, brat?" the blond mage, Laxus, said with a gruff voice as he appeared in front of her in a buzz of light. Light flickered under his exposed skin, making the lightning-bolt shaped scar on his right eye quite intimidating.

Though startled by his teleportation, Lucy bit back her automatic defence of ' _I'm not a brat. I'm almost fifteen._ ' and straightened to her full height, which unfortunately didn't even reach his shoulder.

Before before she could respond, Freed yelled as he slashed his purple glowing sword, "Look out."

A trio of glass orbs rose above the electrocuted and unmoving mage and raced straight at them.

"Shit," Laxus said. A thin gold rope of lightning shot out of his palm and towards the orbs.

The orbs dodged and glowed with gathering magic as they got closer.

Purple runes glowed into an opaque barrier in front of them just as the orbs shot out a barrage of magic. Freed slashed his sword through the air once more, leaving a trail of purple runes that twisted and expanded.

In an instant the runes glowed and caged the orbs just as they glowed again.

The orbs' magic hit the rune cage and reflected back.

As the orbs shattered, Laxus turned to Freed with exasperation. "What took you so long?"

"My apologies, Laxus," Freed said and lowered his sword without dispelling the rune cage

But the blond waved his hand and looked behind with a smidgen of concern in his eyes. "Ever?"

"I'm fine," a worn and tired woman's voice said.

Lucy turned in surprise.

The injured woman from before limped forward while leaning against her other team-mate, her entire scrapped right arm looking worse than before.

"No, you're not," the helmeted mage said.

"I told you two to stay there," Freed said, his voice rising with real ire even as he moved to the brunette.

"Like the great Evergree would actually listen to common sense," the helmeted man said with a twist of his lips.

"Healer," Lucy said in concern. "We need to get you to town before you get some sort of infection." She looked around, trying to remember the way back to Luin.

The mages stared at her as though surprised by her words.

"Infections are bad," Lucy told them.

"Lady Lucy!" A voice called in the distance.

Turning in relief at the familiar voice, Lucy yelled to her running assistant. "Jeremy, these people need healing."

Jeremy, proving the extent of his usefulness, nodded as he reached her, "I brought a healer along with some others to help when I came to search for you." True to his word, a group of slightly soggy people appeared from the direction that he had come from.

When the group finally reached them, the healer, decked in the formal grey of his profession rushed to the mages once Lucy had waved him off.

"I'm fine," Lucy said to Jeremy's unhappy concerned look. "They really do need more help than me."

Jeremy glanced at Lucy for a long moment before he nodded reluctantly.

The healer tutted as he examined the brunette's arm. "We'll need to be at the clinic to deal with this. You need more salves than what I have on me right now."

Again, Jeremy demonstrated why she'd made him her personal assistant. "They should be bringing the cart along in a few minutes. The wet sand is a hassle to travel on."

"I can walk," Evergreen said, leaning away from the helmeted mage. A second later her eyes rolled back and she fell forward.

Her team-mates caught her with open concern and climbed into the cart with her without any complaint.

Jeremy stuck close to Lucy as the cart took all of them back to the town where still wet people were clearing up remnants of the attack.

"Is everyone in the town okay?" Lucy asked, taking in the heaps of wet sand everywhere. "How much damage did I..."

"There was nothing damaged by the water," Jeremy interrupted her as they got off the cart and followed the healer into a fairly large house.

"I still want to talk with the mayor," Lucy said, watching the mages bring in Evergreen, the electrocuted sand mage, and the floating rune cage with broken orbs. "I can't just walk away. It would damage our entire reputation to just leave when I played a part in this."

Jeremy sighed but nodded, as though he had expected nothing less. "I'll inform him of your request and I'll bring you a new outfit."

"It's fine. Unlike your drenched self, I'm fine. Only my sleeve is damaged. I'll make do until the coach comes by to pick us up," Lucy said as she sat on a wobbly stool inside the healer's abode. Jeremy huffed and only left when one of the other healers in the building came to check on her cheek.

"You're leaving?" Laxus said.

Lucy wanted to nod but the healer was cleaning the scrap on her cheek. "I have to. I have a meeting in Kunigi that I need to get to tonight."

"Which guild are you from?"

Lucy blinked. "What?"

His face twisted in irritation. "You helped defeat that sand mage, so you're entitled to a cut of his bounty."

Seemingly surprised by Laxus' words, Freed elaborated. "If you give us your guild name we will forward the amount to you."

"I don't have a guild."

"You're a free-roaming mage?" Freed asked in surprise before adding. "While there's nothing wrong with that, it's best to be part of a guild so that you don't have issues with the council." He glanced at Laxus, who was being examined by another healer and said," If you need a guild to join, there's ours. Fairy Tail. With the power you showed, you'll do good in a guild."

"I'm not a mage," Lucy said. Following their pointed line of sight, Lucy blinked and tightened her hold on Aquarius's key still in her hand. She tucked in back inside her vest. "I'm just..."

The door opened. "Are you the mages who saved our town?" Without waiting for an answer, a portly man stepped forward and shook Lucy's hand.

Catching Jeremy's hasty hand signals, Lucy said, "I'm afraid you're mistaken, Mayor. They are the mages who saved your town. I am Lucy Heartfilia, owner of the Heartfilia Konzern."

The mayor's eyes widened.

Taking advantage of his recognition, Lucy said, "I'm glad that the town is safe, but I'm sure clean up will be quite hard. As such I'm willing to pay for any charges that might come up from any water damage."

"That's very generous of you," the Mayor said.

"It's the least I can do," Lucy said. "I will also pay for these mages' treatment and stay here."

"That's very kind of you. I'm sure our healer will appreciate it."

"No," Laxus interrupted them. "We can pay for our own treatment."

"I don't doubt that. Consider it a bonus for the good work you did. And if it bothers you so much, you can pay as well. Healers always need money for ingredients," Lucy said, in a tone that brooked no argument.

Laxus didn't look the least bit satisfied and it was only the motion of the healer tilting his head back to examine his neck that kept Laxus quiet.

Freed had no such problem. "You did your fair share of work as well, Miss Heartfilia."

"Lady Lucy, the coach has arrived," Jeremy said, sparing Lucy from having to reply to the mage's words.

Lucy stood. "It was nice meeting you, Fairy Tail mages. I wish you all a speedy recovery."

As she sat inside her warm cushioned carriage in a fresh change of dry clothes, Lucy pulled out Aquarius' gold key and stared at it.

For the first time since she had taken up her father's position after his death, Lucy couldn't push away the encroaching thoughts of a magic filled life.

And more worryingly, she wasn't sure she wanted to.


	2. Churning Depths

On the wall opposite her, the large clock's pendulum gleamed gold as it swung back and forth while Lucy tapped her pen against the handle of her desk drawer.

With a brisk knock, Jeremy opened the office's double doors and walked in from his adjoining office, his eyes fixed on the papers in his hands. "I've looked over the numbers we got from FioRail."

Lucy straightened in her cushioned chair and slid the scattered papers on her desk closer.

"We might need to find another supplier..." Jeremy pushed his glasses up with ink stained fingers, looked up and paused. "You're still looking at the contract?"

Lucy glanced down at the papers she was 'working' on. "Yes."

Jeremy nodded and his peacock blue coat sleeve shimmered as he put his papers down on her polished desk. "I suppose it's best to be extra careful with this job. We've never done anything like it before."

"Right," Lucy agreed.

"I don't envy all they reading you've had to do since you came in this morning," Jeremy said with a grin. "At least I only have to deal with what I already know. The numbers."

"Right," Lucy said.

Jeremy's grin faded, his grey eyes glancing between her and the scattered contract on her mahogany desk.

"Sorry," Lucy cleared her throat with realization. "You were saying something about a..."

"Supplier," Jeremy offered, his grey eyes narrowing in concern.

"Right, a supplier," Lucy said, mortified at her blunder. "That we need. Tell me more about it."

Jeremy stared at her for a long moment.

"I'm fine," Lucy said.

"I didn't say anything," Jeremy replied. "But if I was going to say something, I'd say, maybe you should take an early lunch break."

"That's not happening. I told Killian to prepare lunch at the outdoor pool today. And considering his preparation standards..."

Jeremy nodded. "You don't want to go there ahead of time before everything is perfect because he'll cry."

"Killian doesn't cry," Lucy snorted as she stuck her heavy pen in it's crystal stand.

"Not on the outside," Jeremy smiled. "But I'm sure that old-fashioned relic cries on the inside when his plans go astray."

"He's been the butler on this property for decades," Lucy said with an admonishing look at her assistant. "He's just doing his job. Just like I need to be doing my own job. My work time is scheduled till one."

"The world won't end if you ignore the schedule once."

Lucy opened her mouth to protest.

"Especially if you can't get any work done either way," Jeremy added.

Lucy looked between the handful of pages that she had worked on and the stack of untouched pages she still had to look through. "Just for today," Lucy conceded.

"Really?" Jeremy's eyebrows rose. "You'll actually take a break during work time?"

Lucy stared. "You suggested it."

"I always suggest breaks but you never listen," Jeremy said and cleared his throat to add, "There's nothing wrong with your strict work ethic, of course. Just like there's nothing wrong with an occasional break."

Lucy rolled her eyes as she rose from her cushioned chair. "I'll go check on Bella until it's lunch time."

"Meeting with your estate manager is not a real break," Jeremy pointed out with a frown.

Lucy tilted her head. "Then maybe I should just sit here..."

Jeremy raised his hands in surrender and walked back to the main doors. "All right. I won't tell you how to use your break as long as you don't sit here stuck with that contract! "

The moment Jeremy closed the office door, Lucy opened her desk drawer and grabbed the colourful magazine that she had stuffed inside earlier. Rolling it into a tube, Lucy walked around her mahogany desk, her boots sinking into the plush blue carpet that filled her office.

Not wanting to disturb Jeremy in his office by using the main doors, Lucy opened the side door nestled between the ceiling-high wall bookcases and walked into the narrow servant's passage.

After many twists and turns in the narrow passage, Lucy stepped out of an unmarked door and into the mansion's main hallway a few feet away from the thick opaque sheets that cordoned off the mansion's west wing.

A woman clan in dusty construction overalls held one of the sheets up as a group of workers went into the west wing with large boxes.

"Lady Lucy," the woman greeted in surprise, as construction sounds and paint fumes trickled past the raised sheet. "Did you not get the fabric swatches I sent to your office?"

"I got them Bella," Lucy said. "I just... wanted to see how the renovations were going."

Bella blinked, her brown eyes confused only for a moment before she nodded and removed her hard hat to reveal braided hair. "We're fitting and painting the finished woodwork well ahead of our proposed schedule."

"So everything will be ready when the tours start next month?"

"More than ready," Bella said with a grin and let the opaque sheet fall into place. "Visitors will get the full estate experience everywhere they look. Our restored paintings and sculptures will be the perfect finishing touch. Would you like to see what we've managed with them?"

Lucy nodded and followed Bella into the makeshift art restoration studio, unable to reconcile the vibrant paintings in there to the old faded ones that she had grown up seeing.

An hour later, a solemn voice interrupted their animated discussion. "I apologize for the interruption Miss, but it's time for lunch."

"Right, of course. Thank you for coming to get me, Killian." Lucy turned to Bella. "We'll discuss those gold frames in the upcoming estate meeting."

With a brisk pace that belied his old age, Killian led Lucy to the outdoor swimming pool at the very back of the property.

Under a glittering purple canopy, a table covered with mouthwatering dishes, sparkling cutlery and elaborate flower arrangements, looked fit for a large formal party.

Even though she would have preferred something simple, Lucy said, "It looks wonderful as always, Killian."

Killian bowed, his crisp grey suit as pristine as ever. "Very good, Miss. Would you like me to stay and serve?"

Lucy shook her head and placed the rolled up magazine on the table. "My answer is the same as every other day, Killian."

"Very good, Miss." Killian bowed again, his snow white hair glinting in the sunlight.

The moment she was alone, Lucy rolled up a sleeve and dipped her gold key into the swimming pool. "I am the one who connects the Celestial World. Spirit answer my call. Open, Gate of the Water Bearer, Aquarius."

With a drain of her magic and a spray of water, Aquarius appeared through a crystalline gateway.

"Crab?" Aquarius said, her eyes fixed on the table. "It's been ages since I've eaten crab."

"You mentioned you wanted crab yesterday," Lucy said with a shrug as she sat on the only chair at the table. "So I told Killian."

Aquarius floated to the other side of the table. "You know that you don't have to keep doing that."

"It's not a big deal," Lucy said. "Besides, I think the kitchen staff like getting requests."

"They want your requests," Aquarius said as she grabbed an appetizer. "Not mine."

"It's the same thing." Lucy opened the bright magazine that she had brought along. "Here, look at this."

"A magazine? I though we were finally going to look at curtain swatches for the west wing today."

"That," Lucy cleared her throat and pushed the magazine forward. "That's not important right now."

Aquarius chewed on another appetizer and took the magazine with a raised eyebrow. Her blue eyes stayed impassive as they read down the length of the article. When she reached the end of the page, she said, "They're slow with the news. It's been two weeks since you encountered those sand monsters, right?"

Lucy nodded.

"And they didn't even mention you. I doubt they even knew you were the celestial mage there. What rubbish reporting," Aquarius said with a disdainful look at the article as she tossed the magazine on the table and grabbed another appetizer.

The article title, 'Celestial Spirit Aquarius Sighted.' stood out vividly from the magazine's glossy pages.

"You're kind of a big deal in the Magic Community, aren't you?"

Aquarius swigged down a mouthful of cider. "I imagine most zodiacs are topics of interest among those who bother with celestial spirit magic. We _are_ rare."

"I'm sorry," Lucy said. "Because of..."

The water in the pool splashed as Aquarius interrupted her. "You don't have to keep apologizing for him. I told you the first time you summoned me, kids shouldn't apologize for their idiotic parents' actions."

"You might have been able to see mama before she... you could have had a summoner instead of being locked away for three years," Lucy said.

"Stop it," Aquarius raised her voice, pool water churning with every word. "While I despise how your _father_ dishonoured the wishes of both my previous owners by hiding my key, I have a summoner now. So there's no need to apologize for the past."

"But things would have been different! Things could have been better," Lucy said, her eyes fixed on the magazine.

The water in the pool stopped moving and in the ensuing silence, Aquarius said, "What are you saying?"

"You looked really happy destroying those sand creatures with your water magic," Lucy said. "That's what you were meant to do. Not be summoned like this to keep me company over lunch."

"Are you joining a guild? Becoming a full time mage?" Aquarius asked, leaning forward with intense eyes.

"No," Lucy exclaimed. "I can't. I have to take care of the business."

Aquarius was silent for a long moment. "Then what are you getting at?"

Almost faltering at the intense gem blue eyes staring at her, Lucy took a deep breath before she said, "I can find an active celestial spirit mage for you. A guild mage who does missions and..."

Aquarius's words came out as a more of a hiss as she said, "Find me a mage?"

"Someone better than me," Lucy said, clenching her fists tight under the table. "Someone who will take you on interesting adventures all around Fiore. Maybe even outside of Fiore. A proper mage." At the heavy silence from her spirit, Lucy said, "I don't want you to be stuck here in the Heartfilia estate."

"What about you?"

"Me?" Lucy asked in confusion.

Aquarius' expression twisted with fury while her voice stayed dangerously even. "Don't think you can make decisions about what I want or need."

"Aquarius," Lucy tried to keep the hurt from showing in her voice. "I just want you to be happy."

The water in the pool rose and glowed blue as Aquarius snarled. "You should think of your own happiness first."

Lucy looked between the churning pool and her spirit. "I..."

"I wasn't the only one happy that day!" Aquarius grabbed the large plate of food and rose up in the air as her gate materialized above the pool. "Don't summon me until you've cured your stupidity."

The pool water fell with a heavy splash as Aquarius disappeared through her gate.

Lucy blinked until the insistent prickle of tears in her eyes disappeared, took a deep breath and reached for the food in front of her. Every bite tasted bland and took a while to swallow, but Lucy couldn't let her staff's hard work go to waste.

"Miss, was today's menu not to your liking?"

Lucy looked up from her half filled plate. "No, it's lovely. I just haven't had enough time to eat."

Killian stared at her from beneath his bushy white eyebrows. "It's half past three, Miss," Killian said, holding up his pocket watch as though she needed to see the time.

"I'm late for work." Lucy laid her fork down, pulled the napkin from her lap and stood.

"Miss," Killian said. "What shall I do with this magazine?"

Lucy took the proffered magazine with an unsteady hand. When she reached her office, Lucy shoved the magazine in one of her wall bookcases so that she wouldn't have to look at it and remember.

But the article and Aquarius's words lingered in Lucy's mind.

They sprung to the front of her mind when she combed through law books for her contract.

They haunted her few hours of sleep and persisted well into the next morning when she opened her mail during breakfast.

Ignoring the letters on the silver tray, Lucy grabbed the small palm-sized parcel addressed to her. Using the enamel letter opener on the tray, Lucy opened the box and pulled out a crisp cream letter.

Lucy read the beautiful cursive handwriting multiple times, feeling more confused with each re-read.

"Sorry I'm late, you would not believe how..." Jeremy paused as he sat at the breakfast table. "What it is? Has the railway deal been cancelled?"

Lucy shook her head.

"Then why are you looking at that letter like that?"

Lucy gave the letter to her assistant.

Jeremy read the letter slowly and grinned when he reached the end. "So you've decided to become a mage. I _knew_ you would."

"What?"

"We'll have to figure out the logistics of getting the paperwork done through mail so that we can meet our deadlines." Jeremy pulled out his notepad. "Maybe Killian knows some troublemakers who we can keep busy with daily mail work."

"Jeremy, you think I'm joining a guild?"

Jeremy stopped writing, his hand hovering over his notepad. "You're not? Then, are you starting a guild?" He frowned. "I'll have to look up the requirements but I'm sure it can be done."

"No Jeremy, I'm not becoming a, why would you think that I'm becoming a mage?"

"You were restless after Luin." Jeremy lowered his notepad. "And you subscribed to Sorcerer Magazine. You even ordered those magic journals."

"That doesn't mean I want to be a guild mage. I was curious. And I thought investing in magic items could be a good business venture," Lucy said, feeling defensive.

Jeremy shook his head. "It that was the case, you would have put those ideas in your management diary like always. You're so meticulous with recording new possible venture that you need a new notebook on a fortnightly basis."

"I wasn't completely sure about it."

"You weren't sure about investing in those farms either but you jotted the idea and two months later you acted on those notes," Jeremy said in a matter of fact tone. "And more than your distraction, you had your gold key out a lot."

"I was thinking of finding another mage for Aquarius," Lucy said in mortification. "A proper guild mage."

Jeremy's mouth was wide open with shock. "Oh, I didn't consider that. I'm sorry I assumed..."

Lucy shook her head. "Don't apologize. You couldn't have known what I was thinking."

After a moment of silence, Jeremy motioned to the box in front of her. "Then what are you going to do with those? Your mother's successor sent them to you because he thought you were becoming a mage. Since he's retiring from being a merchant guard, he won't take them back, right?"

"I don't know," Lucy said as she looked down at the letter, it's words joining the other chaotic thoughts in her head. "So everyone thought I was going to be a mage. Did you think I would just abandon the business. When so many people depend on it?"

"Of course not, you're not that irresponsible," Jeremy said and handed her his notepad. "I thought you've be both. A guild mage and our reliable owner."

Lucy snorted. "I don't think that's possible."

"There's no rule saying that you can't have a job outside of guild mage work. And with careful planning and scheduling, we can shift company business and duties around. The rough plan I made shows that we can be just as effective as normal even if you aren't here full time."

"You've really thought about this," Lucy said as she looked through his mock schedule. "You really think I could do it. Be a mage and keep all this running."

"Lady Lucy, you've accomplished so much since you took over after your father's death. Being debt free and profitable after your father's mistakes," Jeremy winced as he said that bit but continued, "That was all your work. You worked twice as hard where other people would have given up."

Lucy shook her head as she remembered the past months. The long hours pouring over books, forgoing sleep for meetings and always struggling to keep her newly inherited business afloat. "I was very lucky," Lucy said. "I did a lot of risky things."

"Luck only works if there's something it can work with," Jeremy said. "Don't sell yourself short. I know what you've managed. Even though I was just a lowly clerk when your father was alive, I've seen the books. And the numbers don't lie."

Before she could stop herself, she said, "Do you really think I could be a guild mage?"

"I'm sure of it," Jeremy said without hesitation.

Lucy reached for the box and pulled out three keys with a trembling hand. Two gold keys and one silver key glinted in her hands.

Though it had been years since her mother had taught all the constellations and celestial key markings, Lucy had no trouble naming the keys, "Taurus, Cancer and Hologorium."

"Are you..." Jeremy hesitated to complete his sentence.

Lucy said, "I don't know. I really don't know what to do."

Sympathetic and understanding as ever, her assistant said, "Why don't you take the day off to deal with this?"

"A day off," Lucy said, looking up from the keys. "I don't think I've had a proper day off. Normal weekends don't count, right?"

Jeremy's eyes softened. "No, they don't."

Desperately in need for clarity, Lucy roamed the mansion, lingering in the quiet areas her mother had frequented.

Areas like the solarium in the east wing where her mother had tended to the potted plants that she loved. The piano room where her mother and her had laughed more than they played any music. Even the reading room where she had taught Lucy long before the numerous tutors were hired.

Lucy sat at one of the reading room's low tables and laid out the three new keys and closed her eyes to concentrate. "What should I do, mama?"

In Lucy's faded memory, her mother's soft perfume enveloped Lucy as she declared her wish to be a celestial spirit mage.

"It that's what you want, then I'm sure you'll be a wonderful celestial spirit mage," her mother had said and kissed Lucy's cheeks with a wide smile.

Lucy shook her head at the phantom memory and said, "I have a duty here. I can't abandon the business, not when so many people's livelihood depend on me and my choices."

"If that's what you want..." the memory replayed unhelpfully, no matter how much Lucy tried to recall other memories of her mother.

Unsatisfied, Lucy strode away from the room with the keys and only stopped when she reached the large doors of her father's sick room.

The room that he had spent his last days in.

It had been more than a year since Lucy had gone anywhere near the room but she felt compelled to enter it. To see if it would provide her the answers she needed.

Even though bright sunlight and airy colours filled the room, Lucy had no problem remembering the pungent smells of medicines, the constant doctor visits and her father's laboured breathing as he moved restlessly in his sleep.

She sat on the new bed that had been put in and took a steadying breath as the unbidden memory washed over her.

"I regret many things," her father rasped while his hands trembled in her grip. "So many things," he said in a soft voice, a voice that was nothing like his usual strong voice. "I wish I could change them for..."

Lucy gasped for breath and ran out of the room, unable to let the memory play out. Unable to relive that moment of her life again.

It was still too soon.

It would always be too soon for her.

Emotionally spent but no closer to resolving her dilemma, Lucy walked towards the lone cottage a little away from the mansion.

Lucy knocked on the small wooden door, much louder than was considered polite.

But even so, it took almost five minutes before the cottage's inhabitant finally opened the door.

"Miss Lucy, you've finally come to visit." The old hunched man at the door smiled wide as he straightened the pink mage hat she had gifted him years ago. She'd offered to get him a blue one to match his robes but he always declined. He squinted at her hand. "Oh my! You've got new keys. I didn't know you were collecting keys. You have to treat them right."

"I'm not..." Remembering Bero's deafness, Lucy raised her voice, "One of mama's successors sent them to me. He thought I was becoming a mage."

"Mage, yes, yes, you're a good mage," Bero said, his staff clanking as he hobbled away from the door. They'll be happy to have you as their mage. Just like Aquarius and my old friend Crux."

Lucy sighed and raised her voice some more. "Aquarius isn't happy with me, Bero."

The old man waved away her words as he sat in his armchair. "She's the envy of all the other spirits in the celestial world! You treat her to expensive meals and summon her just to enjoy her company. Who wouldn't like being treated so specially?"

"Wouldn't she be happier if she went on actual missions?"

"Oho, you're joining a guild for her?" Bero chuckled. "Now she'll definitely be envied by the other spirits."

To Lucy's dismay, the conversation with her old magic teacher continued in the same vein.

"A spirit has pride too you know, they don't answer anyone's call. If they're not defeated or won in battle then it's hard for mages to summon celestial spirits and form contracts. Spirits are really picky," Bero said. "Now why don't you make a new contract. Let me see if my lessons have stuck with you."

"I..."

"Now, now, don't be shy." Bero leaned back in his armchair. "It's always good to see the dying art of celestial summoning magic being used."

Did she want to summon the new keys' spirits and make a contract with them when she was so unsure of everything.

Was that fair to the spirits?

She looked down at they keys. At the very least, Lucy wanted to talk with Cancer. He had been her mother's spirit so he might share some old stories about his time with her.

And she could ask him what he wanted in terms of the new summoner that she would find him.

Decision made, Lucy grabbed Cancer's key and pulled on her magic. "I am the one that connects the pathway to the Celestial World. Hear my call. Open Gate of the Crab, Cancer."

The key buzzed, her magic twisted away from her and her scalp tingled as strings of magic meshed into a solid gate that gleamed like the edge of a blade.

Cancer stepped out of the ground level gate, his dark skin, red cornrows and small green sunglasses flashing from the gate's light.

"Hello Cancer, I am..."

"Layla's child," the spirit said, his voice soft and measured.

"Yes, uh," Lucy said. "I called you here to talk."

"To make a contract?"

"No, I mean, I don't think you'd want to make a contract with me." Lucy blurted out in a rush. "Despite what your previous owner might have said, I haven't become a full time guild mage. And I don't take any interesting missions so... you don't have to make a binding contract with me."

Cancer stared at her for a long moment. "I am not concerned with how interesting or boring a summoner's life is. I didn't undertake missions or battles with all my summoners. One was a librarian, another was a farmer. I stayed with them because they were good people who liked to summon me."

"So you wouldn't mind if I never become a real mage who joins a guild and takes on interesting adventurous missions? If I just summoned you to talk?"

"It is more than enough for any spirit to be wanted and summoned," Cancer said, the six red crab legs on his back twitching. "Especially outside of battle."

"Really?" Lucy asked.

"Yes," Cancer said. "Even if you only summon me to talk, I would be proud to make a contract with you, daughter of Layla."

Lucy considered the spirit's words for a long moment before she said, "My name is Lucy and I'd like to make a contract with you Cancer."

Cancer nodded. "I accept, Lucy Heartfilia."

Lucy swallowed the lump in her throat at his easy acceptance. "What days are you free to be summoned?"

"I shall follow Aquarius's schedule."

"She said I could summon her everyday but I don't know if that's still..."

"I am fine with that," Cancer said. "If Aquarius gave you permission to call on her everyday then I am willing, as well."

Lucy blinked and then felt almost shy as she said, "Would you like to stay for tea?"

Cancer smiled and pushed up his sunglasses as the gate behind him turned a translucent grey before becoming invisible. "Yes."

At the sound of a soft snore, Lucy turned to Bero's armchair. She grabbed the knitted throw and put it around her old magic teacher.

The teacher who had even taught her mother before.

When she was done, she led Cancer to one of the mansion's shaded outdoor tables. With a quick word to one of her staff, Lucy and her new spirit sipped on tea and ate a wide selection of pastries.

Somewhere along the way, Lucy told Cancer about her troubles with Aquarius as he styled her hair.

"I think she'd be so much happier working with a guild mage. She tells me all about Mama but the only work I can offer her is decoration choices in the renovated wings," Lucy mumbled as Cancer snipped and combed her hair.

Even though he didn't tell her what to do, Lucy sat at the tea table long after Cancer had returned to the Celestial realm and felt more at peace as she watched the sunset and combed through her silky smooth hair.


	3. Destined Meeting

Though the scenery blurred past the carriage's curtained windows, the brand new cushioned interior didn't jostle or jolt. If it wasn't for the smell of new leather, Lucy could have closed her eyes and pretended that she was back in her office.

She could have pretended that nothing was about to change.

But as her hand curled over her celestial spirit keys, Lucy reminded herself that things had to change. Her spirits deserved better. As their summoner, she had to do everything she could for them. Just like they had promised to do for her.

"We're nearing the town," Jeremy's reliable voice cut through her somber thoughts as he held the curtains aside completely.

Hazy morning light spilled in and highlighted the gold Heartfilia emblems embroidered on the carriage's plush silk cushions.

Downing the last of her warm tea, Lucy said, "I'll go by myself when we're at the border."

"But..." Jeremy protested.

"Townspeople are more likely to answer a young girl's questions if she's alone," Lucy said, placing the delicate teacup back on the tray. "And I have a lot of questions that need answering."

Jeremy didn't seem pleased but he said, "Fine. Are you sure you don't want us to wait for you?"

Lucy shook her head. "If things don't work out, then I'll rent a room for the night and catch the train back home tomorrow."

"We could just wait and prevent all that hassle," Jeremy said, the concern in his grey eyes hard to miss.

"It'll be an adventure. And, it's not like I'll ever be all alone," Lucy said with a deliberate pat on her grey vest where she kept her keys.

Before Jeremy could reply, the driver knocked on the outside of the carriage. Jeremy sighed and knocked back twice with his gloved hand.

The carriage slowed and came to a stop.

"Lady Lucy..."

"I'm going, Jeremy, and that's final."

Jeremy's solemn expression shifted into a smile. "I just wanted to wish you good luck."

"Oh," Lucy said sheepishly. She cleared her throat and said, "I'll mail you with an address if things work out."

"Everything will work out," Jeremy said with a confidence that Lucy didn't feel and held out her backpack.

When the driver opened the door, Lucy slung on her grey backpack and stepped out even though her entire body fluttered with nerves.

Jeremy squeezed her shoulder and smiled. "You can do this."

Beside him, the driver nodded with an even bigger smile. "Nothing's too hard for you, Miss."

Her nervousness didn't disappear but Lucy could ignore it just the slightest bit. With a thankful nod to the both of them, Lucy dusted her black skirt and walked away from the carriage.

The solid weight of the backpack pushed her forward through Magnolia Town's gates, bustling crowds and kept her moving towards the bright red and gold banner in the distance.

A banner than could only belong to Fairy Tail.

With no direct path there, Lucy consulted the many haphazard signs and navigated numerous roads only to end up in a bustling market. Distracted by the tantalizing scents, Lucy lingered to sample the wide selection of food stalls.

In between bites of sweet pastries and tender grilled meat, Lucy followed the trails of different gossip that floated around each stall. Heated gossip about competitors, inviting gossip about Magnolia Town and strangely enough sparse but fond gossip of Fairy Tail mages that she'd never seen in Sorcerer Magazine.

In the week and a half since she'd gotten her new keys, Lucy had tried and failed to find out more about Fiore's magical community. Other than what the magazines and a few magic journals printed, secrecy shrouded information about magic and mages.

Even the four Fairy Tail mages that Lucy had met a month ago were impossible to look into.

As though the mere act of remembering that battle were a summoning spell, the crowd parted and a long curtain of green hair glimmered against a sharp maroon coat a few feet away from her at the edge of the marketplace.

Surprised but grateful at people's wide berth around the mage, Lucy finished her last kebab skewer and moved. "Mr. Freed," she called out, hoping her voice would carry over the market chatter.

The tight line of his shoulders eased as he turned and recognized her amidst the bustling market crowd. "Miss Heartfilia."

"Just call me Lucy."

"And I'm just Freed," he replied, his sharp green eyes assessing her. "Do you need help with something?"

Lucy nodded as she stopped in front of the mage. "I've come to become a guild mage."

Freed's eyes widened and his tone turned incredulous as he asked, "Why would the owner of one of Fiore's biggest businesses want to become a guild mage?"

Sheepish that he'd successfully researched her, Lucy said, "Your team."

"My team?" Freed repeated in confusion.

"Your team made me curious about being a proper guild mage."

"But your business," Freed said with disbelief.

"I have reliable workers that I can supervise remotely even while I'm away, doing mage things," Lucy said, simplifying the goal of Jeremy's detailed ten-page plan.

"That's..." Freed took a deep breath and shot her a quick wry smile. "I think you'll do good in Fairy Tail."

"What about your team? Would I do well in your team?"

Freed reared back. "You want to join the Thunder God Tribe?"

Even though he didn't clutch his chest like that dramatic noble she'd had the misfortune of meeting months ago, Lucy smiled as she answered, "If that's the name of your team, then yes, I would like to join the Thunder God Tribe." When Freed just stared at her, Lucy faltered. "I can't?" she asked, her stomach twisting in worry at failing already.

"No, I mean, it's not my choice to make. It depends on Laxus and," Freed faltered and looked around the market as though searching for something as he lowered his voice. "There are other teams and mages in Fairy Tail. You could start your own team."

"Freed, what's the hold up? You were supposed to..." a brown haired woman, the one that Freed had called Ever back in Luin, stopped a few feet away from them. Clad in a green and purple dress, Ever shot Freed a questioning look as she pushed up her glasses with a gloved hand.

Beside her, a tall man clad in a haphazard mix of purple, blue and black clothes also stopped. Even though a metal visor covered his eyes, Lucy could feel his stare.

"What is it?" a gruff voice demanded from behind them.

"It's the brat from Luin, Laxus," the tall man said with glee as he moved aside. Five wooden objects raced up into the air from his back, glowed with magic as they zoomed around her and echoed his words. "Brat."

Laxus raised his scarred eyebrow at her. "Did you track us down for your promised share of the bounty?"

"No." Ignoring the troubled expression on Freed's face, Lucy took a deep breath and said, "I've come to join your team."

Everyone but Laxus sputtered. "I thought you weren't a mage," he stated, crossing his arms over his purple-clad chest as he towered over her.

Lucy straightened. "I am now."

"You think a newbie mage like you has what it takes to join my elite team?" The air around Laxus crackled, cutting off all sounds from the market place. "What makes you think you're strong enough?"

Keeping a hand on her vest so that she could feel her keys, Lucy said, "Aquarius can flood an entire town, Taurus can cut through metal with ease and Cancer is... well, Cancer."

"Three zodiacs?" Freed exclaimed. "You have three zodiac spirits?"

"What's the big deal?" Ever said as she eyed Laxus with a cautious look.

Freed's tension transformed into exasperation. "I told you already. The books said that only twelve zodiac spirit keys exist. Even Karen Lilica only had two in her entire career."

Everyone turned at Lucy.

"Does that mean I can join your team?"

Laxus narrowed his eyes. "What do you think?"

"I didn't hear a no," Lucy said, with a bright grin that was more relieved than anything else. "So that means a yes."

Laxus stared at her, his entire demeanour radiating danger.

Used to dealing with countless hostile looks after she'd inherited her father's position, Lucy stared right back, refusing to be intimidated.

"Did you join the guild?" Laxus asked.

"Not yet," Lucy replied. "Luckily, I saw Freed first."

"Fine," Laxus said with a strange look on his face.

The rest of his team turned to Laxus, shocked by the declaration.

Before anyone could speak, Laxus smirked and said, "But you'll need to get a guild mark from the Master."

"That's all I need to do?" Lucy asked in surprise.

"When you meet him, tell him exactly which team you're thinking of joining. And then, well, I won't have to deal with this." Laxus chuckled and walked away, his long fur-line black coat flapping behind him.

Even though she wanted to whoop for joy, Lucy's ingrained manners only let her smile instead. "That wasn't so bad!" She glanced at the trio of mages and floundered at their strange mix of expressions. "Right?"

"I'll go with Laxus and grab your bags. Evergreen, Bickslow, you two... take Lucy to the guild," Freed said, looking everywhere but at Lucy. "Let's meet up at the station."

"What?" Evergreen grit out, looking distinctly unhappy as she narrowed her eyes at Freed.

Freed stared back with an expression that could have been carved from stone but his green eyes flickered through through various emotions.

The wooden figures zoomed and hovered in front of Lucy's face, blocking the two mages from her view.

"Hello," Lucy said, unsure of what manner of magical creatures they were and unwilling to be rude.

"Hello," the figures chorused back as they swirled around her in dizzying patterns, making it even harder to know what they were.

"Well, let's go," Evergreen said, batting away the wooden figures. She shot one last sharp look to a chagrined Freed and beckoned Lucy forward. "We need to deal with this before we leave for our mission."

"A mission, already," Lucy said, unable to hide her delight as she walked beside Evergreen. "I picked a good day to join your team."

"You mean the guild."

Lucy shook her head. "I wouldn't be joining the guild if I couldn't join your team."

"You'd give up being a mage?" Evergreen asked, a frown of worry on her forehead, as they navigated a maze of side streets.

"I'd still be a mage to summon my friends but I wouldn't be a guild mage who went on missions."

"That's crazy," Bickslow said, from his spot on the other side of Evergreen. "You're crazy." The wooden figures chimed in with a chorus of 'crazy'.

Not missing a stride, Evergreen elbowed the taller mage.

Lucy looked down at her polished boots, sheepish at her actions. "I suppose I should have waited till we weren't in the marketplace before asking to join. Other people would have had the common sense to ask in a more private, formal setting."

"Other people?" Bickslow snorted. "No one else _wants_ to join the Thunder God Tribe."

Curious, Lucy turned to the two mages. "Does Thunder God refer to Laxus?"

"Who else would it be?" Evergreen said, swiping her light brown bangs behind her ear. "Freed, Bickslow and I became a team to support Laxus."

"Because he's your friend?" Lucy said. "You're all really nice."

"Don't just make up your own explanations." Evergreen shook her head even though her lips curled up for a fraction of a second. "Well, here we are," she said and motioned to a brightly painted building decorated with numerous banners. Banners that bore the insignia of the Fairy Tail guild.

Unlike all the grand doors that Lucy saw and passed through regularly, the guild's simple wooden doors evoked a surge of nerves and emotions.

"What's wrong?" Evergreen asked as they neared the guild doors.

"This is kind of scary," Lucy admitted.

" _This_ is scary?" Evergreen said in disbelief, stopping in front of the wooden doors. "After all that with Laxus and... you think this is scary?"

"I don't know anyone in there. And I don't really know if I..." she paused and took a deep calming breath. "I guess I'm just being stupid." Not wanting to hear the mages agree with that, Lucy pushed the doors open.

A cacophony of chatter hit her like a shock of cold water and Lucy would have probably stood there stunned for hours if Evergreen hadn't walked forward.

Evergreen strode past crowded tables, not even pausing to greet or acknowledge the curious looks aimed their way.

At the very back of the guild hall, a well-used bar lined the wall. Despite the bottle filled wall shelves, and trays of clean glasses ready to be used, only one person occupied the bar.

A diminutive man with a thick head of white hair sat cross-legged on the bar counter and puffed on a long wooden pipe as he read through a stack of papers. He looked up at their approach and his large moustache twitched as he said, "Evergreen, Bickslow, did you forget something?"

"No, we didn't forget anything." Evergreen's flat voice matched her even flatter expression. "Master Makarov."

Surprised by the icy response, Lucy took a minute to break the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over them. "They were just escorting me here."

Master Makarov puffed on his pipe and put his papers aside. "So I see. And how can I help you? Are you here to submit a mission request?"

"I'm here to join the Thunder God Tribe." When the man's bushy white eyebrows rose, Lucy hastened to add, "Master Makarov."

"Bickslow, Evergreen, I'd like to have a chat with this young lady," Makarov said.

Having expected some sort of interview, Lucy glanced at the two mages. "I'll see you two in a bit."

Evergreen stared at Lucy for a long moment, hesitation in her eyes but she sighed and turned.

As the two walked away, Lucy caught the tail end of Bickslow's whisper, "... change her mind."

If Evergreen said anything in reply to that, Lucy didn't get a chance to hear it because Makarov said, "So you wish to join Laxus's team?"

"I already did. Laxus approved my request in the market," Lucy said. "I just need to be an official guild member to make it official."

"Did Laxus tell you that?" Makarov asked, his stern eyes glancing behind Lucy.

Lucy nodded. "No one can say no to having some cool celestial spirits on their side."

"Celestial... ah, you're the one who summoned Aquarius during their previous mission." Makarov turned back to Lucy with surprise.

Lucy brightened. "They told you about Aquarius."

"In a manner of speaking," Makarov puffed on his pipe after a long look at her. "So you really want to join Laxus's team?"

Lucy nodded. "My spirits will be thrilled to go out on missions and use their skills with other mages. I might even have to renegotiate our contracts."

"Just your spirits?" Makarov asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"Me too. Even though I won't be doing that much work, I'm excited to see what my spirits can do." Lucy perked up and reached for her backpack. "I've brought some reference letters and a list of what I've studied."

Makarov blinked. "Why would I need reference letters?"

"Reference for my character, you know, to show that I'm a hard-working and trustworthy person," Lucy said simply. "That's what people have to do when they apply for a job. So I thought..." Lucy hesitated, suddenly unsure. "Since I'm applying to your guild, there must be a quality check somewhere. Because Laxus didn't ask for anything, I thought you'd do all the checking."

"Quality check." Makarov's lips twitched around his pipe for a moment before he shook his head. "I don't need letters to see your character. From how you talk about your spirits, I can tell that you'll be a good addition here. Someone who'll make a big impact."

"Me?" Lucy shook her head in disagreement. "I'm not even... I've only just started using my magic the way it's supposed to be used."

"It's not magic that makes an impact on people," Makarov said thoughtfully and glanced past her for a moment.

In a shadowed corner near the guild's main doors, Evergreen and Bickslow stared straight at them with pursed lips and stiff postures.

"Where would you like your guild mark? And what colour would you like?"

Lucy frowned at the duo for a moment before she turned back. "I think they have team colours. I saw two green marks and Bickslow's black one so I'll need to get a black one to balance the colours."

"Actually their team has two green and two black guild marks. Not many people see Laxus's black guild mark," Makarov supplied with a solemn nod as he motioned to his torso.

"Then if I get black or green, the uneven numbers will destroy their colour balance."

"You can choose a new colour."

"I could, but it needs to match their theme," Lucy considered what little she had seen of the team. "They have common colours with their clothes. But the ones that I could use for the guild mark are purple and maroon." Noticing Makarov's expression, Lucy glanced down at her hands, "Am I doing this wrong?"

Makarov shook his head. "It's nice to see someone put so much serious thought into their guild mark. So purple and maroon?"

"I like maroon but..." Lucy frowned.

"But?"

Lucy hesitated until Makarov leaned forward and motioned for her to continue. "Not everyone can pull off maroon like Freed. But purple looks good on everyone. Whoever joins the team next, won't feel so bad about getting a purple mark."

Makarov smiled around his pipe and nodded. "Sounds reasonable. Where would you like your purple guild mark?"

As a young business owner, a 'proper' image was crucial if Lucy ever wanted to be taken seriously in the future. That meant the guild mark needed to be in an easily covered spot that she'd be comfortable showing if necessary.

That criteria ruled out having it on the back of her hand like Freed, or on her chest like Evergreen and it definitely ruled out putting it on her tongue like Bickslow.

Lucy unbuttoned and rolled up her white shirt sleeve. She pointed to a spot on her right forearm, close to her elbow.

"Think of the colour you want," Makarov said and pressed a glowing stamper down on her skin. A mere second later, he lifted it to reveal a purple Fairy Tail mark on her skin.

Lucy prodded the mark, marvelling at the lack of pain or irritation. "I'll need to start wearing some colours to match the team. My guild mark can't be the only spot of colour on me."

Makarov hummed. "You'll have to fix your wardrobe after your mission or you'll be late."

Remembering that the others were getting ready to leave for a mission, Lucy tugged down her sleeve. "Right! I can't be late to my first mission with the team. Thanks for the help, Master Makarov."

"Magnolia station is to the south west of here," Makarov called out as she walked away. "If you see the West Gate Park, then you're going the right way!"

When Lucy jogged through the guild's front door and didn't see Evergreen or Bickslow anywhere, she panicked until she remembered Master Makarov's words. Not having a compass with her and not seeing any helpful road signs, Lucy went left.

No matter how far Lucy went, the cluttered and tight packed buildings of Magnolia made her lose all sense of direction. Lucy lost track of how many people she asked directions from before she saw a large sign for West Gate Park just as a train's boarding call whistle rang in the distance.

Lucy ran.

She reached Magnolia's train station only to see an empty platform and the train already moving.

Lucy would have stopped running right then if she hadn't seen a hand with a very distinct maroon coat sleeve at one of the train's doors. "Freed!" Lucy yelled as she ran but the train's whistles and chugging down the tracks drowned out her voice.

But by some miraculous luck, Freed leaned out of the train door and saw her. He stretched his hand out, reaching for her.

Lucy raced towards him with a renewed burst of energy. In a nauseating blur of colour and speed, Lucy grabbed his outstretched hand.

With a strength Lucy hadn't expected, Freed pulled her into the moving train like she was nothing but a piece of paper. "You made it."

Lucy coughed and gasped for air, as her blood pounded and her legs throbbed.

Moments after her breathing normalized, Freed asked, "Are you still feeling unsteady?"

Lucy blinked at him in confusion, glanced down and dropped his hand like it was on fire. "Sorry!" She said and flailed away from him.

With a quick hand to her elbow, Freed steadied her and prevented her from falling. "It would be a shame to get injured now."

"Thank you," Lucy said, overwhelmed by everything that had occurred.

"There's no need to thank me," Freed said, glancing away from her as he straightened his pristine coat. "I just happened to be in this area to... get some fresh air."

Lucy stared at him.

Freed cleared his throat. "Right, let's go to the others." Without waiting for a reply, he turned and opened a carriage door.

"I told you there was no point looking, Freed," Bickslow said, his voice loud even from a distance.

"We should have waited," Evergreen said, "Just to be sure."

"There was no point!" Bickslow countered.

Annoyed that Freed's tall form hid her, Lucy leaned to the side as they walked to the only occupied seats of the otherwise empty carriage. "You could have told me that we needed to catch a train."

A startled silence filled the carriage door.

"I would have gotten the guild mark much faster," Lucy said as Freed moved aside.

"You..." Evergreen blinked and shook her head. "We thought," she glanced at Bickslow who just gaped. "Well, none of that matters now. You're here."

"That old man let you join," Laxus said from where he was curled beside the window, his voice gruff and one eye narrowed at her.

Before Lucy could say anything, the carriage door opened and the train conductor entered with a bellow. "Ticket check. Gets your tickets out and ready, please."

Lucy pulled out a small leather wallet, flipped it to the photo I.D. that she'd been given recently and handed it to the conductor just as Freed held out a handful of tickets.

The conductor looked between the I.D. and Lucy and bowed with wide eyes. "Ma'am. I don't know how such an error has occurred to such an esteemed personage. But I shall clear one of the First Class carriages for you to travel in complete privacy."

Lucy twitched. "I'm travelling with this group."

The conductor bowed again. "My apologies. I will ensure your entire group is moved to the First Class carriage with you."

"That's not necessary," Lucy said. "I'm fine where I am."

"But," the conductor protested.

"I'm fine," Lucy insisted with narrowed eyes.

"Of course," the conductor bowed again and handed back her I.D. "I will send the refreshment cart and other amenities in here right away."

"That's not," Lucy said but the conductor had already closed the door behind him. "Necessary." Aware of their curiosity at the strange situation, Lucy explained, "As the newest business partner in FioRail, I got this free-pass to ride any of it's trains."

Laxus scoffed and turned away, curling even tighter into his seat.

"Rich people are in a whole different world, huh?" Evergreen said, just as the train staff entered with carts of food and drink, along with an obnoxious amount of pillows and blankets.

Even though the staff left in a matter of moments, Lucy felt the urge to apologize for the inconvenience.

"What were you and Master Makarov talking about for so long?" Evergreen asked, interrupting Lucy's thoughts.

"He was helping me choose my guild mark colour," Lucy said as she sat down.

"Why would you need help with that?"

"You obviously have team colours with your clothes and your marks." Lucy said, "And from what I saw, I was going to get black to maintain the colour balance."

"Colour balance?" Freed repeated, sounding lost.

Undeterred, Lucy continued, "But Master said that Laxus also has a black guild mark. So, to preserve the existing colour balance and save the next person from having the same issue, we decided I should choose a new colour."

"Next person?" Bickslow repeated this time.

"I eventually found a nice colour, one that anyone could feel comfortable wearing."

Freed shared a look with Evergreen and said, "That's very considerate of you."

"What colour did you get?" Evergreen asked, leaning forward.

Lucy rolled up her shirt sleeve and showed off her new purple guild mark. "Purple suits everyone. Especially this Royal purple."

"It does," Evergreen admitted, her eyes fixed on Lucy with approval. "And I'm glad we finally have someone cultured enough on this team to recognize and name this colour."

Lucy beamed in response. "Even Aquarius likes purple. She was always partial to swatches in that colour range. Ah, that reminds me," Lucy pulled out a gold key from her vest, dipped it in one of the large water carafes, and pulled on her magic as she chanted the summoning phrase. Mindful of their last encounter and argument, Lucy spoke even before the gate opened completely. "I've joined a team to become a proper mage."

With her gleaming crystalline gate behind her, Aquarius looked around with unimpressed eyes. "This team? Why?"

"Because you already fought alongside them," seeing Aquarius's narrowed eyes glow, Lucy hastened to add. "And they have an interesting name."

Aquarius quirked up an eyebrow and repeated, "An interesting name?"

Lucy nodded. "The Thunder God Tribe."

Aquarius tilted her head in confusion. "They're followers of Zeus?"

"Who? No," Lucy motioned to the blond mage, who'd opened both eyes, with as much subtlety as she could.

Aquarius snorted and hovered in front of Laxus. "You equate yourself to one of the ancient gods and yet you can't even seem to handle a train's movement." She glared down at him with a smirk, revelling in his discomfort. "What makes you think that your team deserves Lucy?"

"Aquarius!" Lucy said, mortified at her spirit's words. "I've already joined the team."

Aquarius didn't looked remotely apologetic as she turned to Lucy. "It's not too late to change that."

"No, I've made my choice."

Aquarius stared down at her. "And this is your final choice?"

"Yes," Lucy said.

"Fine," Aquarius huffed after a moment. "You can summon me as per our contract, even if it's to help them."

Lucy smiled, glad to have Aquarius's approval, grudging though it was.

"Especially since you've got no one useful to summon," Aquarius said.

"Actually, I made contracts with Cancer and Taurus the day after you, you know," Lucy said.

"Those secretive little shits," Aquarius curled her fist even though her lips curled into a smile. "I'd heard that they got new summoners sometime last week. But they didn't say a word."

"I wanted to tell you myself."

Aquarius flipped her hair back over her shoulder and straightened. "I better go tell them how things will be from now on." With a quick touch of her tail against Lucy's arm, Aquarius disappeared back into the Celestial realm.

"She didn't even let me do proper introductions," Lucy said in dismay.

Laxus, who had been staring at the spot where Aquarius had left, frowned at Lucy and turned away as he closed his eyes once again.

Looking amused, Evergreen glanced away from Laxus. "Did you get Taurus and Cancer recently, after Luin or did I misunderstand that?"

Lucy nodded and pulled out her newest gold rings. "They're my newest friends."

"How did you get two rare zodiacs in such a short time?" Freed asked, his voice thick with disbelief.

Lucy thought about it for a moment and shrugged. "Magic."

Bickslow cackled and even Evergreen grinned as Freed sputtered.


End file.
